1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a person recognition apparatus for recognizing a person to be authenticated by using authentication data such as a face image, and a gate control apparatus using this person recognition apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a person recognition apparatus is developed which recognizes a person to be authenticated on the basis of authentication data recorded on a physical medium such as a key, magnetic card, or IC card, or on the basis of biometrical information such as a fingerprint, retina, iris, palm shape, or face image. For example, a person recognition apparatus which authenticates a person by using a face image captures the face image of a person to be authenticated, and collates this face image of the person to be authenticated with a face image stored (to be also referred to as registered hereinafter) in a dictionary beforehand, thereby recognizing the person to be authenticated.
This person recognition apparatus includes a dictionary storage which stores a dictionary for authentication, and recognizes a person to be authenticated by using the dictionary in this dictionary storage. This conventional person recognition apparatus acquires a plurality of authentication data from a person to be authenticated, forms dictionary data to be registered on the basis of these authentication data, and registers the formed dictionary data into the dictionary. Therefore, when registering the dictionary, a person to be authenticated inputs authentication data as dictionary data a plurality of number of times. Also, dictionary data registered in the dictionary is updated in accordance with an instruction by the manager or a person to be authenticated.
As described above, the conventional person recognition apparatus makes the user sometimes feel complexity when he or she registers or updates the dictionary.
Additionally, the conventional person recognition apparatus sometimes lowers its person recognition rate depending on the condition of a person to be authenticated, e.g., the standing position or posture of the person. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836 or 11-191856 proposes a technique to reduce this lowering of the person recognition rate depending on the condition of a person to be authenticated.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836 discloses a technique by which the direction of a camera for photographing a person to be authenticated is changed when the direction of a person during recognition is different from the direction of that person registered beforehand. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-191856 discloses a technique which guides the eyes of a person to be authenticated toward a predetermined position.
In the method described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-316836 or 11-191856, however, it is necessary to additionally install a control circuit for controlling the direction of the camera for photographing a person to be authenticated, or an eye guiding device which guides the eyes of a person to be authenticated.
Furthermore, the conventional person recognition apparatus using face images is in some instances used by a plurality of users having similar faces such as twins and brothers. Also, a plurality of dictionary data may be required for a single person depending on the use/nonuse of glasses and the like. When the amount of dictionary data registered in the dictionary thus increases, the time of authentication increases and the recognition rate lowers in some cases.